Graham Thoms has lost close to five stone since starting Mounjaro earlier this year and says it’s “completely transformed his life”, but for a man who speaks so highly of the drug – and has benefited from it so immensely – he warns that it is not the “magic bullet” so many people view it to be.
Speaking exclusively with C+D this week (December 18), PharmaDoctor’s chief executive Graham Thoms shared his experience with the infamous weight loss drug and caveated that although it has its numerous benefits, there are many dangers to it too.
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Not only do some patients see Mounjaro or other weight loss drugs as a “short-term fix”, but suppliers too think it is an easy way to make money.
“I think there is a trend for some providers just to look at it as a transaction,” he says.
“I don’t know whether for some online services, it’s just another tick in the box and then they’ll be able to sell you prescription medicine. And that is not right, because patients do need support” he says, noting that this trend “doesn’t do any good” for the pharmacy profession either.
“It’s not a short-term fix”
“If you’re going to an in-person pharmacy service, it may be a bit more expensive than a cheap and dirty online service, but you’re getting a trained pharmacist,” he says.
“And they’re going to thoroughly assess what you need and try and support you long term,” he adds – “it’s not a short-term fix”.
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“You can start a consultation online and do a lot of it ahead of your appointment, but ultimately, you need to sit in front of a pharmacist who will take your weight, measure your height, calculate your BMI, take your blood pressure… and go through the whole process”.
Thoms stresses that regulation needs to be “properly” implemented – “because at the moment it’s not”.
“They’re not the magic bullet”
While he sings the praises of Mounjaro during his conversation with C+D, he makes it clear that the drug is intended to be used “in combination with diet and exercise”.
“These GLP-1 drugs, they’re not the magic bullet, you do have to watch what you’re eating, and you have to exercise,” he stresses, adding that Mounjaro must be accompanied by a significant “lifestyle change”.
He says on average, he “consistently exercises” one hour a day, six days a week.
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And for him, the drug has “transformed” his life – “it’s given me a new lease of life, it’s opened my eyes” he says, adding “it’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience”.
He began his Mounjaro journey earlier this year when he was around 22 stone 11 pounds. “I bit the bullet in April, I thought enough is enough, I don’t think I’d ever been heavier”, he says.
Since then, he’s lost almost five stone and is only about halfway through the 18-month course.
“Fat man’s brain”
Other than a significant decrease in appetite, he has not experienced any negative side effects from Mounjaro.
“But I’ve still got a fat man’s brain,” he says, explaining that although his appetite has shrunk, he is still in the habit of ordering large quantities of food when eating out.
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Not long after he started Mounjaro, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after a doctor discovered that his blood pressure was extremely high.
“Part of the weight loss service is that pharmacists take a patient’s blood pressure, and during the consultation my local pharmacist said, ‘have you been drinking energy drinks this morning... your blood pressure is through the roof’,” he explains.
“That wasn’t too surprising if I’m honest, I wasn’t really exercising and my diet was atrocious,” he says.
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Thoms was referred to his local GP and given the diagnosis about two weeks later, but when he mentioned he was on Mounjaro his doctor said, “that’s brilliant, Mounjaro is a great drug for diabetes”.
And “within three months” his diabetes had been reversed, all thanks to his weight loss and lifestyle change.
“It’s unbelievable really,” he says, explaining that his blood pressure is now “completely normal”.
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And Thoms isn’t the only one who’s benefited from the weight loss drug.
Since he started Mounjaro and began sharing pictures of his progress on social media, friends and family have contacted him asking what he’s done to make such a noticeable change.
“I would say there are about 12 to 15 friends, ex-colleagues and family members that are now on it,” he says.
“I’ve even got friends flying in from Switzerland once a month for work… and they make a detour” to his local pharmacy for a consultation, he adds.
“I think that’s part of the reason it’s grown at such a rate – you can do all the marketing you want… but there’s nothing more powerful than word of mouth,” he stresses.
“I don’t think these drugs are going away”
For some, the idea of coming off such a powerful weight loss drug may seem daunting, but he says he’s “not concerned”.
“The important part of these treatments is the lifestyle change,” he says, “so yeah, I might be a bit hungrier or a bit less full for less time, but my lifestyle should have changed”.
Read more: Third of public think NHS ‘should not’ offer weight loss jabs
And it seems Thoms isn’t the only one who’s had such transformative results from this weight loss drug.
“I’ve never seen a service take off like this before… it just keeps growing and growing,” he says.
“I don’t think these drugs are going away, it’s just whether the NHS is going to have the budget” for them, he says – “I can’t see them going away”.